MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A Washington University project intended to uncover the cost of hip replacement procedures made the unindented discovery that around half of the hospitals could provide no estimates.

Among the more than 100 hospitals contacted by the researcher, those that could provide figures ranged from around $11,000 to more than $125,000.

Researcher Jamie Rosenthal, a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, called hospitals from every state to ask for the cost of of a hip replacement.

"Transparency is all the rage these days in government and business, but there has been little push for pricing transparency in health care, and there’s virtually no information," study co-author Dr. Peter Cram told the New York Times. "I can get the price for a car, for a can of oil, for a gallon of milk. But health care? That’s not so easy."

The results were published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., the Times reported.

The medical market for cosmetic devices is booming. However, quickly launching new products to meet demand is becoming more challenging because device manufactures face increased regulatory scrutiny. To help meet regulatory requirements, aesthetic and other medical-device OEMs are partnering with electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies that also offer expertise with the FDA filings necessary to […]

Power Partners releases a new 310 Watt medical grade desktop power supply from their PEAMD Series of AC and DC adapters. The 310 Watt unit is packed for ideal performance inside a compact case measuring 7.8 x 4 x 2 in. with a weight of only 3 lbs. The PEAMD310 Series is approved to the latest […]

Saelig Company has introduced the ABI Electronics’ Multiple Instrument Station MIS4, an all-in-one testing tool that provides all commonly required test instruments in one compact programmable hardware module, mounted in a compact case or installed in a PC-drive bay. Controlled by ABI’s sophisticated SYSTEM 8 Ultimate PC software with a simple yet programmable operator interface, […]

AssurX, an enterprise quality management, risk and regulatory compliance solution provider, announces the release of the latest update to their AssurX document management software. The document management solution provides a cost-effective solution for small to medium sized companies faced with streamlined operations and is fully compliant for FDA regulated industries. Ideal solution for small to […]

Saelig Company announces the Amplicon Impact-R 1100F series, a fanless system powered by the Intel ATOM D2550 processor. Configured with a high performance 2.5 in. MLC Solid State Drive (SSD), the Impact-R 1100F series is a silent controller system. With options for multiple serial communication ports, the Impact-R 1100F can offer up seven DB9 connections […]

Gerresheimer AG, a partner to the global pharmacy and healthcare industry, will further extend its pharmaceutical packaging business with the acquisition of Centor. Gerresheimer has reached an agreement with Nemera Development S.A. to acquire 100% of the share capital of Centor US Holding. “Centor is the highly profitable market leader for plastic vials and closures in […]

Editor’s Note: This article is written by Ashley Boam and Mary Malarkey from the “FDA Voice” blog. Boam is an FDA’s acting Director of the Office of Policy for Pharmaceutical Quality, the Office of Pharmaceutical Quality and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Malarkey is an FDA’s Director if the Office of Compliance and Biologics Quality […]